Crutch.



U. KGRNSTEIN.

CRUTCH.

APPLICATION man ocr. zr. 19m.

l,288,929. welded De.24,1918.

ff f a- INI/ENfOR.

BY l l ULRICH KORNSTEIN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

CRUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented nee.v sa, reis.

Application le. October 27, 1917. Serial No. 198,850.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ULRICH; KoRNsTnIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crutches, of which the following is a speciication.

The present invention relates to improvements in crutches, and has for its main object to provide a device of this kind which may be conveniently and quickly adjusted as to its length.

Another object of the invention is to produce a crutch the head of which may be adjusted angularly, so as to fit under the armpit of the user.

A further object of the invention is to produce a crutch that is yieldable under the weight of the user, or in other words, one that is to some extent resilient, thereby obviating sudden shocks and jars to which the user would otherwise be subjected.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement, and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Two of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustrtaed in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a crutch constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of the lower portion of the crutch, Fig. 4 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the upper portion of a modified crutch; and Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4, on a larger scale.

Referring now rst to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, the numeral 10 indicates the sta of the crutch, made of three sections, indicated at 11, 12, and 18. The section 11 comprises two side bars 14, which are united midway by a grip 15, their lower portions being bent into abutment with each other, as shown at 16. The lower portion of the stalf section 11 is of quadrangular cross-section, and is provided with a longitudinal slot 17. This quadrangular portion of the staff section 11 extends into a bore 18 in the upper portion `of the staff section 12, and is united with the latter by a headed bolt 19, that is carried by the section 12 and extends through the slot 17 in the section 11. With the bolt coperates a wing nut 20, serving to clamp, in coperation with the said bolt, the sections 11 and 12 of the staff together. Through the lower portion of the section' 12 extends a bore 21, in which is disposed a spring 22, one end of which bears against the staff section 12 and its other end against the head 23 of the staff section 13. This head is slidably disposed in the bore 21, and is held therein by a cap 24, that is provided with interior screw threads 25, meshing with threads 26 on the lower portion of the staff section 12. The staH:l section 13 extends through the said cap.

The upper ends of the sides 14 of the staff section 11 are fork-shaped, as clearly shown at 27, and straddle the lower reduced part of the head piece 28 of the crutch. This head piece is provided with an arc-shaped slot 29, through which extend screw bolts 30, carried by the fork-shaped ends of the side pieces 14, and in engagement with wing nuts 31.

The operation of this device is as follows The length of the crutch may be adjusted by loosening the wing nut 20, and moving the sections 11 and 12 toward or away from each other, as required. l/Vhen in the proper posit-ions, the wing nutJ is screwed to clamping position, whereby the two sections are firmly held together at the required length.

By loosening the wing nuts 31, the head 28 may be shifted and its angular position in relation to the longitudinal axis of the crutch stati varied, to fit properly under the arm-pit of the user. By screwing up the wing nuts 31, the parts are held against movement.

Tnasmuch as. the staff section 13 is adapted to telescope into the stati' section 12 and by reason of the spring 22 being interposed, the stafrl is rendered resilient to prevent shocks and jars to the user.

The modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings differs from the one above described in that its sides 14 are each niade of two pieces 32 and 33. The pieces 33 are seated in recesses 34: in the pieces 82, and are each provided with a longitudinal slot 35. Through these slots extend bolts 3G, in engagement with wing nuts 37. In this manner the length of the crutch may be adjusted.

Obviously, in the device shown in Figs. l and 5 of the drawings the staff section 12 is missing, and the section 13 extends into section 11. f

What I claiinvis:-

1. A crutch, comprising a staiil having side bars provided with fork-shaped upper ends, a head having a reduced portion seated in said fork-shaped ends and provided with an arc-shaped slot, and screw bolts carriedby said fork-shaped ends and extending through said slot.

2. A crutch staff, including a section formed of side bars bent at their lower ends to abut against each other, the abutting portions of/ said bars being of quadrangular cross-section, and a second section having a bore -into which the lower ends of said side bars slidably extend, and means for adjustably securing together said two sections.

3. A crutch staii", including a section provided with a bore, a second section having a head adapted to telescope into .said firsty nanied section, as spring within said-boreinterposed betweenvsaid two sections, and-a cap bearing against said first named section and againstr the head of said second section for preventing dis-engagement of said two sections.v

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 24th day of Oct., A. D. 1917.

ULRICH KORNSTEIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, ,Washngtom D. C. 

